Inflatable seal



June 13, 1967 G. c. BROWN 3,325,042

INFLATABLE SEAL Filed Nov. 4, 1964 INVENTOR GILBERT 6. BROWN 2Z4 Q/QZZQM5% United States Patent Vania Filed Nov. 4, 1964, Ser. No. 408,906 1 Claim. (Cl. 22046) This invention relates to doors and, more particularly, to seals for doors in combination with pressure and/or vacuum vessels, and particularly washer-sterilizers.

This invention comprises an improvement over the door and seal disclosed in patent application, Ser. No. 346,726, filed Feb. 24, 1964.

In doors of the type familiar to those skilled in the art and of the type disclosed in the said preceding application, using inflated seals, the seal is usually inflated through a hose that extended from the outside of the door through the door and is directly connected to the seal. This presented a problem of the hose being extruded through the hOle in the door because the diflerential between the pressure inside the seal and the outside ambient air was considerable.

In the present invention, a means has been provided whereby the hose is connected to the inflatable seal on the chamber side of the door and a pipe is welded to the door and extends therethrough.

Further, there has existed a problem of seals sticking to the door facing. It has been discovered that by attaching a piece of material such as a material sold by Dixon Corporation under the trademark Rulon, which is a tetrafluorethylene having an inert filler, it is possible to prevent the seals from sticking to the door and thereby being damaged.

It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide an improved inflatable seal and a means for inflating it in combination with a guillotine type door.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved type door and seal combination.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved inflatable seal and means for preventing the seal from sticking to the door facing.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists of the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and more particularly pointed out in the appended claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the form, size, proportions, and minor details of construction without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a partial front view of a washer-sterilizer according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an inside view of the door.

Now with more particular reference to the drawing, the Washer-sterilizer shown has the door with an outer peripheral groove 12 therein defined on the chamber side by a flange 30. The groove will be in the shape generally to conform to the outside form of the inflatable seal and to hold the seal in place. The flange has a groove 31 that receives hose 25. The door is of the type shown in the said parent application and is supported on the washer-sterlizer 17 in a similar manner to the door in the parent application. The inflatable seal is indicated generally at 11 and is of the type shown in the said parent application. The reinforcing bar 13 is supported across the bottom of the door to prevent it from bending. The upper end of the door extends under a flange as in the parent case and each of the sides of the door extends under the flanges 19 at either side of the door opening.

The seal is provided with serrations along its back at 21 which give a better connection between the seal and the bottom of the groove. The seal is indicated in phantom lines in inflated position at 18 and, in this condition, it engages the Rulon strip 16 which extends entirely around the door and in relation to the seal. The Rulon may be used or any other suitable type of material such as Teflon or other material which will withstand the temperature inside the sterilizer and, at the same time, will have a non-adhering surface.

The door may be provided with a suitable lifting lug 15, and the door will slide in the channel 20 that is defined by the overlying flanges 19.

Now with more particular attention to the specific invention as disclosed herein, the inflatable seal 11 has an air supply hose 25 vulcanized to it and this hose extends up on the inside of the door of the Washer-sterilizer and is attached to the pipe 14 which is a suitable metal pipe that extends through a hole in the door at 36 and is welded around the pipe at both the outside and the inside thereof. A suitable reinforcing member 37 may be welded to the outside of the pipe to protect it against bending and end 22 is provided for connecting it to a supply of compressed air or the like.

The pipe 14 thus being welded to the door and extending therethrough eliminates the need of several pipe fittings that are normally used.

In use, when the door is moved to closed position by a suitable actuating member, the air may be supplied through the member 22 which will enter the door through the pipe 14 and inflate the seal and expand it to the position indicated at 18 in engagement with the gasket 16. Thus, the hose 25 where it connects to the inflatable seal on the outside thereof is exposed to the pressure inside the chamber, and this pressure is partially balanced by the pressure inside of the inflatable seal, and therefore the seal and hose are not inclined to extrude out of the groove 12. It will be noted that the hose 25 extends upward through a slot 31 in the channel which receives the inflatable seal. Therefore, the seal can be inserted merely by laying the hose in the slot 31 at the time that the seal is installed in the door.

The foreging specification sets forth the invention in its preferred practical forms but the structure shown is capable of modification within a range of equivalents without departing from the invention which is to be understood is broadly novel as is commensurate with the appended claim.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

In combination, a container adapted to contain a fluid under pressure and a door with a seal thereon,

said container having a door opening defined by a marginal edge,

a door for closing said opening,

said door being adapted to move into closing relation with said door opening,

a groove in said door,

said groove having an open side opening toward and overlying said marginal edge when said door is in closing relation with said container,

an inflatable sea-l in said groove,

a flexible hose attached to said inflatable seal and communicating with the inside thereof,

rigid conduit means extending through said door from the inside to the outside thereof,

said hose being connected to said conduit means on References Cit d the end thereof inside said container and forming a 1 fluid path whereby fluid can be directed from said UNITED STATES PATENTS conduit means to the inside, 2,330220 9/1943 F P 2 0-41 X and means to attach a source of fluid under pressure 5 2,551,750 5/1951 yto the end of said conduit means outside of said 2,691,460 10/1954 Barnebey 220-46 container, a gasket material being supported on said 3,198,159 8/1965 Cherney 220 46 marginal edge of said door, said gasket material be- FOREIGN PATENTS ing of a material selected from a group of material comprising Rulon and Teflon, said part of said door 10 defining said groove being defined by a flange on the outside thereof, said slot receiving said hose whereby said hose may be admitted to said s-lot when said seal THERON CONDON Pnmmy Examme is inserted in said peripheral groove. GEORGE E. LOWRANCE, Examiner.

609,440 11/1960 Canada. 542,549 4/1956 Italy. 

